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As negotiations over the fate of the historic El Vado Motel inch toward compromise, a national preservation group is trying to help keep the old motor lodge around for generations to come.

At a news conference Friday in front of the motel - on west Central Avenue near the Albuquerque Biological Park - the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that El Vado had been placed on a list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places."

"This is sort of Albuquerque's poster child," said Daniel Carey, the director of the group's Southwest office. "Hopefully (the designation) will encourage a peaceful resolution."

The controversy surrounding El Vado has been anything but peaceful. Owner Richard Gonzales had first proposed to level the motel and redevelop the property. That caused outrage from neighbors and caught the attention of City Hall.

The City Council voted to designate the motel as an official landmark, which brought with it roadblocks to redevelopment. Gonzales, who redrafted his plans to include preserving part of the lodge, took the designation to court and won. After that, he and city officials started talking face to face.

Friday, after months of going back and forth, Gonzales and Mayor Martin Chavez were talking about the same vision - preservation of the front of the complex and redevelopment in the back. Gonzales said that would likely include condominiums, with the front areas reserved for "very light commercial" businesses.

"This proposal has been out there almost since day one," he said. "I'm optimistic that we can come to a reasonable situation."

El Vado is making more than just local news this week. On Sunday it landed in the real estate section of the New York Times, as part of a larger article about historic motels along Route 66.

"If we can't come to a resolution with the developer, we'll condemn it and take it," Chavez told the paper. "It's part of who we are. It would be like New York without the Statue of Liberty."

At Friday's event, Chavez said the latest historical designation "heightens the awareness of the need to preserve the property."